Debt Collection
by Phindle
Summary: Anyone wanna go get crazy ass drunk and pick a fight with some law clerks? Reela
1. Chapter 1

Originally authored on livejournal as Bingelybeep

Rating: T I think, may change, for drunkenness, swearing and a bit of sexual situation I would imagine, but I'm making this crap up as I go along

Spoilers: Very vague for The Show Must Go On, but basically if it was in the show, it might be mentioned.

Disclaimer: I do not own ER or any the characters or recognisable situations. This story is written and published for personal enjoyment and the love of the characters. No profit is being made.

Summary: Anyone wanna go get crazy ass drunk and pick a fight with some law clerks?

**Debt Collection**

Ray and Neela were beginning the trudge back to their apartment. After the day from hell Ray really was serious about getting totally shit faced. Naturally, Abby wasn't interested which meant that Jake wasn't either but, he thought, glancing down at the tiny woman trotting by his side, trying to keep pace with his longer legs, there was still Neela. Did Neela even get drunk?

He'd always thought of her as such a consummate good girl, she actually folded her underwear for God's sake. But lately a decidedly more naughty side of her had begun to emerge and Ray had no problems with that at all. He grinned slightly at the memory of her shoving the new Chief Resident, or starting that snowball fight with him in the ambulance bay. All his rocker friends even seemed to like her, which he never would have expected. In fact several of them seemed to have crushes on her, Ray's grin slipped into a slight frown. He didn't know why he disliked that idea so much but he'd noticed himself casually warning them away from her, mentioning how busy she was and how she still liked that soldier-doctor in Iraq. Now he seemed to only invite them over to the apartment he shared with Neela when she was on shift at the hospital. Of course it was partly due to consideration, or rather the fact that Neela kept ripping him a new one for having band practices in the middle of her beauty sleep. Which was ridiculous anyway because she was the last woman in the world who needed beauty sleep.

And that was the other thing. Ray had noticed that he'd been having a lot more thoughts like that recently. There was nothing unusual in him noticing when Neela looked hot, she was a beautiful woman and he was, to put it politely, something of a connoisseur. But he seemed to spend a lot of his time now just watching Neela. Whenever they finished a conversation she would turn away and he would spend a few seconds just watching her, the way she tucked her hair behind her ear or wrinkled her nose when she was thinking. He noticed things about her that he never noticed about other women. He noticed when she did different things to her hair, even though he didn't fully understand how she did it. There was the straight hair left to hang loose and frame her face, the straight haired ponytail, the loose and curly look and his personal favourite, the one where her hair was curly and she pinned it up but left a few tendrils loose, to curl down her neck and around her ears. It was soft, pretty, and it made her less scary when she was yelling at him.

He knew most of her wardrobe and had his favourite ensembles. The only thing he knew he'd never seen her wear was a strappy, black dress he'd found in the laundry basket a few days after Gallant had been in town. He'd been in a foul mood all day after that because he knew she'd worn that dress for her stupid soldier while Ray would never get a chance to see it. He held it up in front of him, saw the incredibly low dipping front and wanted to go over to Iraq and punch the bastard who'd seen Neela in it. But of course he had to remember that he and Neela were just roommates, so he'd mentally slapped himself, dropped the dress back in the basket and tried to stop thinking about how incredible Neela would look in it.

He carried on as normal, screwed up at work, played gigs with the band, slept with random groupies. And if he suddenly seemed to have developed a preference for deeply tanned, shorter women with black hair then that was just a coincidence.

He glanced back at Neela who was still struggling to keep up with his longer stride. He always walked a little faster when he was with her, partly because he liked the way the effort made her cheeks flush, just like when she was angry at him, and partly because it gave him a little glow inside to see her working hard to be with him. Even if that was a little twisted.

After all that introspection he REALLY needed a drink… or ten.

They had reached the point in their journey where they could either turn left and go home or turn right and walk for three more blocks until they reached a rather grungy bar, aptly named The Pit.

Ray stopped and Neela drew to a halt too, turning her face up to look at him questioningly.

"Ray? Why have we stopped? You do realise it's sub-Arctic out here don't you?"

Neela had had a really shitty day and all she wanted right now was to go home, have a long bath and curl up on the sofa with a Jane Austen film and a pint of ice cream. Or get completely shitfaced. Eitherway. But seeing as she had no one to go out drinking with… Abby was an absolute no-no and Ray was, well, Ray. If she was being honest she quite liked the idea of going out for a drink with Ray, he was good fun, he was smart and he was a permanent source of eye candy. She knew he'd mentioned getting drunk earlier but she figured if she was the only one available the invitation probably didn't stand anymore. He'd probably sit in his room and play his guitar for a while then meet up with his bandmates, he'd invite her along but he wouldn't want her to come really.

Neela didn't really want him to go out without her because sad as it was, she had to admit that the Darcy and ice cream plan did hopefully include Ray. She knew from past experience that he would mooch around in the kitchen and then the lounge, gradually drawing closer to the sofa as she watched her film. Then he'd hang over the back of the sofa for a while, looming over her and making comments about her terrible taste in movies. And if she was lucky he'd eventually swing himself over to sit next to her. They'd sit there and he'd eat her ice cream and ruin her film and the pathetic thing was that she'd really, honest to God be enjoying herself. Sometimes when they sat like that Ray's hand would come up and begin to run through her hair, though she wasn't sure he even knew he was doing it. And if she felt really brave Neela would feign sleepiness so she could rest her head on his shoulder and snuggle closer to his side. It almost felt like they were a couple.

Of course, it was natural to feel attracted to Ray, she told herself. They shared an apartment and they worked together. They were forced into close quarters, and as they shared a bathroom too those close quarters included some partial nudity. She didn't exactly have a raging sex life and she living with an extremely good looking man. It was perfectly expectable, except Neela knew that just being superficially attracted to someone didn't usually involve wanting to beat to death every groupie they brought home or losing the power of speech when they got straight out of bed in the morning and wandered about in their boxers.

And now he was stopping in the middle of the street. Probably to ask if she was OK to walk the rest of the way home alone while he went to the Pit to meet up with his real friends. And probably some bloody groupies as well, worse luck.

Ray didn't know why he felt nervous, except that while he and Neela lived together they never really went out together. It was ridiculous, he felt like a teenager asking a girl out for the first time. In the end he settled for a casual command rather than having to actually ask.

"Come on," Ray said finally, motioning to the right with his head as his hands were thrust firmly in his pockets.

"Where?" asked Neela, bouncing slightly to keep the cold out. She hated the fact that her heart had done a little jump when she realised he was asking her if she wanted to be his drinking buddy for the evening. She wanted to make sure that was what he meant so she didn't get her hopes up. Pathetic Rasgotra, she thought to herself but she didn't really care if she got to spend the evening out with Ray.

"I've had a crappy day, you've had a crappy day, we both need a drink. The Pit's straight down that street and I plan to get very drunk, care to join me?" He cocked his arm out to the side in invitation. Neela glanced down at it, then back up to his face. Making her decision she reached out and linked her arm through his as they headed off to get as drunk as was possible on an intern's salary.


	2. Chapter 2

Originally authored on livejournal as Bingelybeep

Rating: T I think, may change, for drunkenness, swearing and a bit of sexual situation I would imagine, but I'm making this crap up as I go along

Spoilers: Very vague for The Show Must Go On, but basically if it was in the show, it might be mentioned.

Disclaimer: I do not own ER or any the characters or recognisable situations. This story is written and published for personal enjoyment and the love of the characters. No profit is being made.

Summary: Anyone wanna go get crazy ass drunk and pick a fight with some law clerks? (Reela)

**Debt Collection**

The pair walked into the Pit and were hit with the ever-present smells of stale beer, cigarette smoke and a faint undertone of urine. It wasn't too busy but crowded enough that they could talk without feeling overlooked.

Neela wrinkled her nose at the smell and once again though about starting up her on-again-off-again relationship with smoking. She wondered if anyone at the hospital would ever guess she smoked, probably not. It was a habit she had started as a teenager, her one and only form of rebellion other than one luridly memorable night when her older cousin took her out drinking. She cringed at the memory of throwing up absolutely everywhere and then trying to go to sleep in the middle of the street.

Ray glanced at her and caught the grimace. "Hey, it stinks but it's not that bad. At least the beer's cheap." He said cheerfully.

"I don't drink beer," she replied, in that monotone she had that seemed to suggest you were a complete idiot.

"God, you aren't one of those girls are you? If you only drink wine and mixers I hope you realise the damage you're going to be doing to my reputation." He said over his shoulder as he manoeuvred them to a reasonably secluded booth at the back.

"Oh don't tell me, you only drink beer and shots because you're a 'rocker', right? Please, a few of my cousin Janeesha's cocktails and you'd be on the floor. Men, so afraid if you drink anything that actually tastes nice you'll look gay."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I happen to have a high appreciation for the subtle flavour of a good brew. And I'm also very secure in my sexuality thank you," replied Ray, leaning back in his seat and taking up the whole of the bench he was sitting on. Somehow wherever he sat, Ray managed to splay himself out to cover all available space.

"In that case, let's play a game," suggested Neela, eyes lighting up in a way that made Ray very nervous. "We order each other's drinks all evening."

"In what sense is that a game?" asked Ray stalling for time while he thought out the pros and cons.

"OK then," huffed Neela, "we order each other's drinks and the first one to give in loses. No buying for yourself or letting anyone else buy for you and you have to finish everything you're bought. Deal?"

"What do I get when I win?" Ray was still trying to decide whether he could stomach a whole evening of getting drunk on bacardi and coke.

"Loser picks up the tab. Come on, is it a deal or are you too worried you'll lose?" The dangerous gleam returned briefly, "Or are you worried you'll like those girly drinks too much?"

Ray knew very well that he was being manipulated but somehow the idea of Neela thinking he was a wuss was too much. "You're on." And you're going to regret it. "Shall we start this little shindig off then?" he asked motioning to the bar. Ray got up cockily thinking about how much he was going to make Neela suffer and how much he'd enjoy seeing her try to squirm her way out of the game.

The bartender was so cliched it was frightening. Old, balding, fat and sweaty in a grimy blue button down shirt that had seen better days about ten years ago. Trying not to do a double take Ray smirked at Neela and made his order, "The lady'll have a guinness and a shot of sambucca, thanks." He tried to keep a straight face when he saw the look of horror that flashed across Neela's features.

Then she looked at him with a pretty good approximation of his smirk and, still watching him said, "And the gentleman'll have a peach magerita and a lime daquiri please. He likes the fruity ones."

Oh Jesus. Ray's face dropped. Not only was he trying to get drunk on cocktails with less alcohol than a gatorade, he was going to have to pee every half hour. And the bartender, who looked like he should be dueling with a banjo somewhere in the backwoods of West Virginia, thought he was gay and was giving him the worst glare Ray had ever received. Neela was going to be getting neat vodka for the rest of the evening if she wasn't careful.

FIN

I began this a very long time ago and then ER went to pot so I don't know if it'll be finished unless they start repeating the good old Ray/Neela episodes again. I do have another couple of chapters of this already typed out but unfortunately I locked the files as it's a communal computer and have since forgotten the password. If I can break it then you'll get the next chapters in a day or two, if not, don't hold your breath, lol. Thanks for reading.


End file.
